Submarine periscope seal



May 7, 1957 Filed Feb. 9, 1950 F. JANISE SUBMARINEI PERISCOPE SEAL FIGJ.

2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR ATTORNEY May 7, 1957 F. JANISE SUBMARINE PERISCOPE SEAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 9, 1950 FIG. 3.

INVENTOR FIG. 7.

FIG.6.

FABUS JANISE ATTORNEY United States SUBMARINE PERISCOPE SEAL Fabus Janise, United States Navy Application February 9, 1950, Serial No. 143,287

2 Claims. (Cl. 114-16) (Granted under Title 35, U. S. Code (1952), see. 266) The present invention relates to shaft seals and particularly to a pressure actuated packing system for sub marine periscopes.

It is well known in actual practice that prior packings will not eifectively seal the periscope at periscope depth or lesser depth. Furthermore when the periscope has to be repacked, with prior packings it is necessary to support the periscope by clamps and other means all of which are hazardous as the periscope in that arrangement is easily dropped, squeezed or mashed, and its bushings and packing nicked. Also the periscope had to be completely disassembled. In addition the so called flax packing of prior methods compressed out of shape and the Well known V-shaped packing often refuses to effectively seal at periscope depth, and greater depths.

Aprincipal object of the present invention is to provide packing for a submarine periscope that will prevent leakage and automatically become more tightly sealed as the increased depth of a submarine dive increases the water nection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters represent like parts and which diagrammatically represent in:

Fig. l a front elevation partly cut away in vertical cross section, of the packing system of the present invention 4 Fig. 6 a perspective view of the opposed dual action wedge rings shown in Fig. 1'.

Fig. 7 a vertical cross section of the rings taken on the line 7-7 in Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 a plan View of a lantern ring shown partly cut away and partly in horizontal cross section as incorporated in the system shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 9 a vertical cross section taken on the line 9-9 in Fig. 8.

In Fig. 1 the packing assembly 29 is preferably illustrated as installed over a predetermined area of the peripheral surface of periscope 21. Periscope 21 is mounted in bore 48 in hull 22, and packing 20 is mounted in bore 47 in hull 22. Packing 20 comprises two or more groups or series of sets 40. Sets 40 are each composed of an upper metal ring 41, a lower metal ring 42, an inner leather O-ring 45 and an outer leather O-ring 4-6. The groups or series of. sets 40 are preferably separated at suitable intervals by one or more conventional lantern rings 2,791,194 Patented May 7, 1,957

illustrated at 30 in Fig. 1, which lantern rings provide lubrication reservoirs dispersed in the packing. Packing 20 is preferably resiliently held in engagement with hull 22 and periscope 21 by means of hull gland ring 23.

In Fig. 2 gland 23 is illustrated in detail, as mounted in sliding engagement with periscope 21 and fixed to hull 22 by means of threaded stud 2'7. Stud 27 is slidably mounted in bore 25 of one of the flange arms 24 of gland 23. Compression spring 50 is mounted around the lower end of stud 27. The upper end of spring 3 is retained in recess 26 in gland 23 and the lower end of spring 50 is retained on stud 27 by retaining means such as washer 29 and nut 28. The upper face of gland 23 is in operating engagement with the lower horizontal face of the lowermost of rings 42 in packing 20. As shown in Fig. 4 each of the flange arms 24 is fixed to hull 22 by the attaching means just described, and comprising for example, the studs 27, springs 50, washers 29 and adjusting nuts 28.

For periscope use it is preferred to construct and arrange packing so that gland 23 will give each set 40 a vertical compression of approximately of an inch per ring so the total vertical compression of the entire packing 21 as illustrated in Fig. 1 would be approximately of an inch. Only O-rings 45 and 46 are not compressed vertically but are forced horizontally against periscope 21 and hull 22 respectively.

Fig. 3 illustrates outer O-ring 4-6 and inner O-ring 4.5 preferably made of leather or material of like characteristics, formed and cut so that the ends abut at an overlapping angle of approximately 45 degrees Fig. 5 shows a detail of gland 23 comprising a vertical cross-section of one of the flange arms 24 of gland 23, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, and showing the stud bore and the spring recess 26.

Figs. 6 and 7 show the lower packing ring 42 and the upper ring 41 of a set 49 in exploded relationship as more particularly shown in Fig. 1, these rings 41 and 42 are arranged in back to back relationship so that their opposed sloping surfaces 43 and 44 are slightly spaced apart so that the apex of slopes 43 is in alignment with the apex of slopes 44. As sets of packing 20 and lantern ring 30 are all slidably mounted on periscope 21, .any pressures applied by water pressure or by springs 5d are progressively transmitted axially by the back to back contact of rings 41 and 42, and laterally by the concurrent wedging action of slopes 43 and 44 outwardly in opposite directions on O-rings 46 and 45.

Looked at from a different aspect, a ring 42 of an upper set 46 rests on a ring 41 of the next lower set 40. Each pair of such mated or fitting-together rings 42 and 41 of consecutive sets form. a ring-means providing op positely directed apices for the wedge portions. Accordingly, the packing 2*] comprises a plurality of ring-means spaced apart by .a plurality of pairs of annular members, each pair of annular members comprising the concentric, toroidal-shaped, compressible O-rings 45 and 46, preferably of leather, arranged in a single turn around the shaft 21 of the periscope. As clearly observed from Fig. 2, each of the leather rings 45 and 46 has a round cross-section that. does not fill the triangular space it occupies, and contacts only a part of the surfaces of the wedge portions associated therewith.

As shown in Figs. 8 and 9 a preferred form of the conventional lantern ring comprises bore 32, upper and lower spacing flanges 33 and 34 and apertures 31 for the circulation and distribution of lubricant to packing 20. It is arranged for sliding engagement with periscope 21 in bore 32.

Operation When the seal of the present invention is used on the periscope 21 of a submarine craft there is preferably a difference of approximately .001 inch between the outside diameter of the periscope 21 and the inside diameter of the bore in which it is mounted. This clearance is necessary to permit the operation of periscope 21 and is equivalent to a clearance of approximately .0005 inch around the periphery of periscope 21. During submersion water is forced by sea pressure through this clearance and into contact with the uppermost ring 42 of the packing 20 in bore 47.

At this point the sea pressure acting downwardly on uppermost ring 42 increases the lateral pressure exerted outwardlyin opposite directions by opposed slopes 43 and 44 of upper ring 42 and lower ring 41 in set 40, and thereby exerted concurrently on outer O-ring 46 and inner O-ring 45 in a manner whereby outer O-rings 46 are forced laterally into progressively tighter sealing engagement with hull 22, and inner O-n'ng 45 in each of the sets 40 of packing 20 is forced laterally into progressively tighter sealing engagement with periscope 21, as shown in Fig. 1. In this manner, the water pressure exerted downwardly during submersion, co-acts with the pressure exerted upwardly on packing 20 by gland 23 which in turn is urged upwardly by its springs 50 held in adjusted position by adjusting nuts 28.

When a shaft such as periscope 21 is not submerged, the pressure exerted by gland 23 compresses packing 20 which causes the rings 41 and 42 in each set 40 to approach each other. This in turn causes the opposite pairs of sloping surfaces 43 and 44 to force O-rings 46 against hull 22 in bore 47 and to concurrently force O-rings 45 against periscope 21. This compressing action also causes O-rings 45 and 46 to progressively seal the peripheries of each of the spaces between adjacent slopes 43 and 44. During submersion pressure is progressively applied: upwardly by gland 23, downwardly by water pressure and laterally by rings 45 and 46 as described herein.

In order to renew packing 20 it is only necessary to (a) drop gland 23 by removing nuts 28; (b) assemble new packing 20, ring by ring, preferably on a cylindrical form having the desired diameter, (c) slide the entire assembled packing 20 in one quick movement off the form into its recess 47 in hull 22 and around periscope 21;

and finally replace gland 23, studs 27, discs 29, springs 50, and nuts 28, as shown in Fig. 1. When packing 20 is used on a periscope, it is necessary after installation to readjust gland 23 when the submarine is submerged at periscope depth by means of adjusting nuts 28.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

While only preferred embodiments of the present in-' vention have been illustrated herein, it is obvious that various modifications are contemplated and may be resorted to by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims appended hereto and wherein I claim:

1. In combination, a housing, a shaft, a bore extending through said housing of such dimensions as to provide a running fit with said shaft and to admit fluid under pressure therebetween, said shaft mounted within said bore for rotation and longitudinal movement with respect to said housing, a recess within said bore extending toward the outer surface of said housing from the inner surface thereof, a packing assembly within said recess for sealing said shaft in said housing without interfcrence withthe movement of said shaft under normal conditions of small pressure of said fluid within the running fit between said shaft and said housing, said packing assembly automatically providing a tight fit between said shaft and said housing when greater pressure is applied by the fluid between said shaft and said housing, studs uniformly spaced around said recess and mounted to the inner surface of said housing, a packing gland ring partially extending into said recess and having flange arms with apertures therein for insertion over said studs, said studs having co-acting nuts threadably engaged therewith, spring means mounted on each of said studs between said nuts and the respective flange arm resiliently fixing said gland ring to the inner surface of said housing and urging it into said recess, said assembly including two series of sealing sets mounted in sequence for limited longitudinal movement along said shaft, means forming an annular lubricating reservoir positioned between said two series, each of said sets comprising an inflexible upper ring and an inflexible lower ring, said rings having opposed oppositely sloping wedge portions forming facing apices and triangular spaces, an outer resilient member and an inner resilient member both of circular cross-section, said resilient members being located in said spaces, said sloping wedge portions arranged to concurrently force said outer member outwardly against the wall of said recess and said inner member against said shaft upon application of fluid pressure within said running fit and resultant movement of the gland ring into said recess to effectively seal out said fluid with a fluid-tight fit between said shaft and said recess in the bore of said housing, said resilient members returning to normal position when fluid pressure is reduced, restoring said shaft to rotational and axial operability.

2. In a variable pressure responsive packing system for sealing a submarine periscope against leakage of the surrounding water into the submarine at variable water depths, the combination of a periscope shaft, an axially compressible packing assembly sleeved on said shaft, means on the submarine for mounting said shaft for rotational and axial movement with respect to the sub marine and for providing a passageway with said shaft for admitting the surrounding water to one end of said assembly, said mounting means having an annular recess, said assembly being disposed within said recess and having said one end thereof adjacent one end of said recess. said packing assembly comprising flexible sealing means in variable sealing engagement with said shaft and with the annular wall of said recess and non-flexible means responsive to axial pressure received thereon from either direction for laterally urging said sealing means against said shaft and wall to increase the pressure of said sealing engagement progressively in accordance with progressively increasing axial compression of said packing assembly, and spring loaded means for exerting an axial compressive force on said assembly at the other end thereof, the force of said spring means and the pressure of the surrounding water coacting to increasingly compress said packing assembly to provide a tighter water seal as the water pressure increases with the depth of sub mergence of the submarine and further coacting to maintain compression of the packing assembly sutficient to provide an effective water seal as the water pressure dccreases when the submarine rises to periscope depth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 271,748 Stevens Feb. 6, 1883 301,998 Katzenstein July 15, 1884 528,773 Ellis Nov. 6, 1894 727,839 Raymond May 12, 1903 731,156 Berryman June 16, 1903 1,298,333 Grebe Mar. 25, 1919 2,173,192 Williams Sept. 19, 1939 FOREIGN PATENTS 14,945 Netherlands Aug. 26, 1926 17,397 Great Britain Sept. 13, 1894 230,546 Great Britain Mar. 12, 1925 328,884 France Jan. 28, 1903 428,782 Great Britain May 16, 1935 waay 

